SYNOPSIS

Scarlett Prescott wasn’t always confident in her curves. Growing up in a small town where she’d been mocked and taunted for the way she looked left her with plenty of hidden scars. She fled Ponchatoula, Louisiana, within days of graduation and found herself somewhere along the way. Her worth would never be defined by someone else again.

When her sister’s wedding drags Scarlett back to town, her former bully-turned-police officer pulls her over just past the town line. Gorgeous and enigmatic, Ethan Antonelli has definitely grown up in all the right, and unexpected, ways. He might not be the same bully, but Scarlett still takes fierce pleasure in showing him one night worth of everything he missed out on.

What Scarlett doesn’t expect is the slow blossoming feelings as Ethan showers her in that small-town chivalry and romance she’d spent her teen years longing for. His heart belongs to Ponchatoula, and hers isn’t going to make leaving when the wedding is over easy.

EXCERPT

Ponchatoula wasn’t home to her anymore. It hadn’t been for a very long time. The only thing that she considered home was her family.

She put her foot down on the accelerator, taking a corner a little too fast. She was over the speed limit, but Scarlett had always had a heavy foot when it came to her Mustangs. As soon as she heard the siren, though, she cursed and glanced in the rearview mirror, and sure enough, there was a cop following her, red and blue lights flashing. She cursed again, calling the cop a few unrepeatable names as she pulled the car over to the side of the road.

She wondered if she could talk herself out of a ticket. She’d never had much luck before, but Louisiana cops were different from those in New York.

What the hell. I’m going to at least try.

Scarlett tugged at her low-cut top so her breasts popped out of it more visibly and glanced in the mirror again, patting her lipstick to make sure it was still on point.

A knock on her window made her jump in surprise. The cop was quick, she’d give them that.

She tapped on the button that made the window slide down, and dank, humid air filled the car. Ugh, she hated this heat. Lips curling into a smile, she shaded her eyes from the glaring sun with her hand as she blinked up at the tall man standing beside the Mustang—and what she saw made her mouth water. Tall didn’t even begin to describe the cop, who was built like a brickhouse. His arms were thick with muscles, his chest hard as a rock, with the black uniform pulled tightly across his pecs.

It was only when he leaned over that she got a good look at him, and her breath stuttered in her chest. His familiar face caused memories to crash into the forefront of her mind, tormenting her of a time she thought she’d forgotten. He was older, but there was no mistaking who the strong jawline, soulful brown eyes, and straight nose belonged to.

Ethan.

She knew the moment he recognized her. His stern face softened in surprise, and he stared at her with wide eyes and parted lips.

“Scarlett?”

His voice was deeper than she remembered, and her body reacted to it with a shiver of pleasure that ran along her spine. It was a reaction she didn’t want or expect.

She pushed down the shock and smiled, flipping her wavy hair away from her face. She was fine, she told herself. Sure, this was the guy she used to like in high school, and sure, he was so much more handsome than she could have ever imagined. But she was fine.

Ethan cocked his head, and crouched so he wasn’t leaning over her window anymore. He didn’t say much at first, and she thought she’d truly left him speechless. She had already begun to come up with reasons to leave, including never wanting to see her tormenter again, but then he finally spoke.

“You were doing sixty-five in a fifty zone.” There was an edge to his voice, a warning to listen carefully and that he wasn’t messing around.

“Oh dear. Was I?” She glanced backward, as though she might have accidently missed a speed-limit sign. “I must have completely missed the limit.”

Ethan’s brows rose, and his lips curled in amusement.

MY REVIEW

4,5 Stars

My first book from the author was a pleasant surprise!

Scarlett is a heroine that many girls can relate too. Being a curvy girl at high school is usually a reason to be teased about and sometimes bullied too. The bullying that Scarlett experienced in high school resulted to a mental breakdown and her decision to leave her small hometown and move to New York for college. Now 5 years later she comes back for her twin sister’s wedding. When she reaches the town’s limits, a cop car stops her for speeding. The cop that stops her, is her high school crush, Ethan, and her biggest tormentor’s brother. Ethan instantly recognise her, even though she’s different. Scarlett now is more confident in her own skin and actually owns it! Seeing Ethan brings everything back and she’s determined to show him what he missed.

There’s attraction between them but Scarlett is reluctant to give Ethan more than one night. He’s having none of it and he’s determined to show her that he’s worth it. Scarlett is not the only one that changed. Many things can happen in 5 years.

The book touches the sensitive issue of domestic abuse and how people are getting away with it. The author made a really good job with showing that even though someone is a victim of abuse can come out of it stronger and that there is help for everyone that needs it.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meghyn King was born in a small Australian town where sugar cane burned hot and the working mills smelled sweet. Growing up in Ayr, Queensland, didn’t give her many options in friends, but she preferred to create her own anyway. Through the multiple stories she began to write as a child, her characters ranged in age, ethnicity, and gender, with one common attribute with each story: it involved a romance.

She writes with a cat for company and music for inspiration. You’ll often find her lost in her imagination, surfacing only for food and a good conversation.

Scarlett sounds like a very relateable character! I wasn’t bullied in high school but I was bullied from fourth to ninth grade. I think I would’ve been bullied in high school too if I hadn’t chosen the high school far away from those toxic people.